Ed W
Member
At the risk of starting yet another multiple page thread consisting mainly of people questioning each other's parenthood...
We have had loads of "discussion" about the pros and cons of a reinterpretation of CROW to include caving as an authorised activity, in fact to my mind we have done it to death and the arguments have now gone full circle so often that I suspect I am not the only one who has gone dizzy. However, whether you are for or against, there is now a distinct possibility that we as cavers may get the right to visit caves on CROW Access land. Given that one of the main bones of contention has been the balance of open access vs conservation, I think that one of the major activities that should be taking place now (and I know that there is at least some thought about this going on at BCA and Regional Council level) is to identify which sites are either especially sensitive or present significant risk to the public, and then to propose to the local access governing bodies (and Natural England) what practical access controls would be suitable and effective for each of those sites. In the case of public protection I think this is relatively easy, following the CSCC Standard Key or Derbyshire "Key", which effectively allows any caver access when they want but keeps Joe Public safely out.
The conservation one is more difficult. I have stated before that I don't think gates by themselves are effective at conserving caves, to my mind the only reasonably effective method is the Warden led trip - and I personally would hate to see this most restrictive of methods extended to all but the most sensitive sites requiring the highest protection.
So (after a lot of rambling) the point of this thread is if open access does come about, which caves on CROW land do you think need special protection and why, and what access controls do you think would be appropriate and effective?
I will kick off with three examples that I happen to know reasonably well on the Mendips.
1. Upper Flood Swallet - this caves has been mentioned ad-nauseum on some of the other CROW threads. The cave lies on open access land in Blackmoor Valley and is one of Mendip's longest caves (4km long). The cave is gated and access controlled by the MCG on behalf of the landowner, and currently access is for Warden led trips with a maximum party size of 3. The cave is very vulnerable, being festooned with pristine formations, especially in Neverland, but probably the most sensitive part of the cave in many respects is Midnight Streamway, a low crawl in a very well decorated passage. Extreme care has to be taken to avoid damage, and one clumsy/tired/idiot could wreck it in minutes. Neverland (only discovered in 2006) is also incredibly sensitive, but in extremis could be protected by an internal gate if necessary - MIdnight Streamway is on the main route through the cave. To my (unfortunate) experience I believe that if this cave were subjected to open access Midnight Streamway would be destroyed in no time, and as such I would suggest that some form of warden controlled access and limited party size should be retained.
I Hope Pete (MRODoc doesn't mind me reproducing one of his photos here), but this shows what Midnight Streamway is like.
2. Grebe Swallet - This relatively short cave/mine (300m) lies at the upper end of Velvet Bottom. Access is controlled by the landowner, and is warden led with a maximum party size of 3. The sensitive feature of this cave is the delicate miner's remains (from 1753) including tools, boots and, most vulnerable of all, graffiti scratched into mud on the cave walls. I would suggest that the nature of these Archaeological remains is such that a warden is required to point them out and protect them, even though the original (modern) explorers went to great lengths to provide physical protection for many of these features.
Miner's signature in Grebe
3. Bone Hole (Old Cave) - The cave lies in the upper part of Cheddar Gorge and is locked with access controlled by the MCG on behalf of the landowner. Trips are accompanied by a warden with a maximum party size of 5. The access restrictions are in place to preserve the extremely important archaeological deposits, including Human bones, in the unstable scree of Skull Slope. Undue disturbance of these remains would be a tragedy for archaeologists, and could even lead to loss of what access we do have to the place.
Skull slope in Bone Hole
I would be interested in other peoples views about which caves (in all regions) it is reasonable to restrict access to and why.
Ed
We have had loads of "discussion" about the pros and cons of a reinterpretation of CROW to include caving as an authorised activity, in fact to my mind we have done it to death and the arguments have now gone full circle so often that I suspect I am not the only one who has gone dizzy. However, whether you are for or against, there is now a distinct possibility that we as cavers may get the right to visit caves on CROW Access land. Given that one of the main bones of contention has been the balance of open access vs conservation, I think that one of the major activities that should be taking place now (and I know that there is at least some thought about this going on at BCA and Regional Council level) is to identify which sites are either especially sensitive or present significant risk to the public, and then to propose to the local access governing bodies (and Natural England) what practical access controls would be suitable and effective for each of those sites. In the case of public protection I think this is relatively easy, following the CSCC Standard Key or Derbyshire "Key", which effectively allows any caver access when they want but keeps Joe Public safely out.
The conservation one is more difficult. I have stated before that I don't think gates by themselves are effective at conserving caves, to my mind the only reasonably effective method is the Warden led trip - and I personally would hate to see this most restrictive of methods extended to all but the most sensitive sites requiring the highest protection.
So (after a lot of rambling) the point of this thread is if open access does come about, which caves on CROW land do you think need special protection and why, and what access controls do you think would be appropriate and effective?
I will kick off with three examples that I happen to know reasonably well on the Mendips.
1. Upper Flood Swallet - this caves has been mentioned ad-nauseum on some of the other CROW threads. The cave lies on open access land in Blackmoor Valley and is one of Mendip's longest caves (4km long). The cave is gated and access controlled by the MCG on behalf of the landowner, and currently access is for Warden led trips with a maximum party size of 3. The cave is very vulnerable, being festooned with pristine formations, especially in Neverland, but probably the most sensitive part of the cave in many respects is Midnight Streamway, a low crawl in a very well decorated passage. Extreme care has to be taken to avoid damage, and one clumsy/tired/idiot could wreck it in minutes. Neverland (only discovered in 2006) is also incredibly sensitive, but in extremis could be protected by an internal gate if necessary - MIdnight Streamway is on the main route through the cave. To my (unfortunate) experience I believe that if this cave were subjected to open access Midnight Streamway would be destroyed in no time, and as such I would suggest that some form of warden controlled access and limited party size should be retained.
I Hope Pete (MRODoc doesn't mind me reproducing one of his photos here), but this shows what Midnight Streamway is like.
2. Grebe Swallet - This relatively short cave/mine (300m) lies at the upper end of Velvet Bottom. Access is controlled by the landowner, and is warden led with a maximum party size of 3. The sensitive feature of this cave is the delicate miner's remains (from 1753) including tools, boots and, most vulnerable of all, graffiti scratched into mud on the cave walls. I would suggest that the nature of these Archaeological remains is such that a warden is required to point them out and protect them, even though the original (modern) explorers went to great lengths to provide physical protection for many of these features.
Miner's signature in Grebe
3. Bone Hole (Old Cave) - The cave lies in the upper part of Cheddar Gorge and is locked with access controlled by the MCG on behalf of the landowner. Trips are accompanied by a warden with a maximum party size of 5. The access restrictions are in place to preserve the extremely important archaeological deposits, including Human bones, in the unstable scree of Skull Slope. Undue disturbance of these remains would be a tragedy for archaeologists, and could even lead to loss of what access we do have to the place.
Skull slope in Bone Hole
I would be interested in other peoples views about which caves (in all regions) it is reasonable to restrict access to and why.
Ed